Archive for December, 2011

For some, Christmas is a time for more than usual busyness, marked by exhaustion and a sigh of relief when it has passed. Evidenced by crowded shops, crowded parking lots, traffic jams and unfortunate behavior it is easy to miss some of the more precious aspects. If I have learned anything at this stage of life, it’s truly the things that cannot be bought that have the most value. Time spent with family is what does it for me. We begin with the family tradition of attending Christmas Eve service together, two full rows spanning four generations, now that’s truly a rare sight to behold in the time that we live in. From 82 to 8 years of age, that’s legacy. Each year as we come together at our former church, I have been graciously invited to participate in the service. I feel honored by the outpouring of love received by us from our former church family. This year was a particular blessing as my daughter went forward to read scripture with me and as always our oldest son lead the church in Christmas worship. It’s the one time of the year when we can come together as an entire family and share the blessing of the true meaning of Christmas. The best part of this is that it is free. Jesus already paid for my Christmas. Unfortunately, there was still room to park, no one was busting through the door to get in or standing in line for hours for that special gift available inside. Christmas at the mall costs hundreds and thousands of dollars. Christmas at the church was pricelss.